The Birmingham-based Domestic Cleaning Alliance (DCA), the only UK trade association working exclusively on behalf of the domestic cleaning industry, has been awarded an £1,700 grant by the British Cleaning Council (BCC) to kick-start two new professional development initiatives specifically for the domestic cleaning sector.

The first is a pilot staff retention workshop which will be designed to help owners of small domestic cleaning companies manage, incentivise and ultimately retain cleaning staff.

The second project is the production of a series of best practice videos which will help cleaning company owners understand the key principles which should underpin any domestic cleaning business. Topics will include cleaning operative safety in the workplace, colour coding and compliance, pricing, customer service, and choosing the right cleaning equipment.

The DCA, which is a member of the British Cleaning Council, secured the funding through the BCC’s members’ grant scheme.

The grant scheme uses revenues generated from The Cleaning Show expos in London and Manchester to help BCC members develop products or services, or undertake research, which aims to improve the cleaning industry.

Stephen Munton, founder and Director of the DCA who is based in Great Barr, said: “There are a number of challenges which many of our members consistently ask for help with. Often these are linked to either a lack of industry benchmarking, problems with staffing, or both.

 “Therefore, we put together two proposals for the BCC’s consideration which seeks to address some of these issues, and I’m delighted that the Council has approved them.

 “I will now be working with DCA colleagues and other partners to develop both projects which will help many of our members understand the basics of running a viable, sustainable and responsible domestic cleaning business.”

Stan Atkins, Chair of BCC, said: “The BCC has over 20 members who all represent different parts of the cleaning, hygiene and waste management sectors.

 “Each of them has their own members with specific industry needs, and our grant scheme is designed to support any project a member puts forward which can help solve a problem, improve service levels or benefit employees.

 “These two DCA proposals are exactly the type of initiatives which fulfil our criteria, and we look forward supporting Stephen further in his endeavours to increase levels of professionalism within the domestic cleaning market.”  

 For more information on the DCA visit www.domesticcleaningalliance.co.uk